From KGW in Oregon: A Portland psychologist who has seen thousands of patients over the years put out a warning Tuesday night after his laptop computer was stolen. The computer contained social security numbers, names and diagnosis information. It was stolen from Dr. David Gostnell’s car last month. Some of his former patients were already…
Category: Health Data
Ca: Hospital faces privacy probe
Kris Ketonen reports: Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is being investigated by the province‘s privacy commissioner after copies of medical records containing patient information turned up on north-side city streets last week. The copies of pharmacy orders – containing the names of patients and their doctors, as well as prescription, allergy and progress information…
Pediatric cancer patients’ identities used as part of tax fraud operation
Joe Ryan reports that 29 year-old Steven Nelson of the Bronx pleaded not guilty in a Newark court today and remains free on bail. Nelson had been indicted by a federal grand jury in July on a tax refund scheme that not only involved ID theft, but used the identities of pediatric cancer patients to…
Unauthorized access at Littleton Regional Hospital results in firing
For the second time in as many years, Littleton Regional Hospital has reported a problem with employee snooping. On June 29, the hospital’s Chief Administrator Officer notified the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office that on May 21, a hospital employee reported that another employee was improperly accessing patient records. The hospital’s audit of their computer…
Health care sector breaches in the news: just the tip of the iceberg?
Last week, a few mainstream news articles noted that the Identity Theft Resource Center’s database revealed that 113 of the 385 breaches they had recorded for this year involved the health care sector. As Brian Horowitz of eWeek noted, only breaches that include SSN, financial information, or driver’s license numbers are included in ITRC’s database….
Laptops stolen from Jewish Hospital contained patient data on 2,089
Charles Gazaway reports that two laptops containing unencrypted personal information were stolen from Jewish Hospital. This appears to be the third breach in recent months involving Jewish Hospital. Previous breaches were reported here. A statement posted on the hospital’s web site says: A potential data breach was discovered at the Jewish Hospital Catheterization Lab following…